


Past Midnight

by junakabisque



Category: Alice Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Horror, M/M, Twisted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-15
Updated: 2013-06-15
Packaged: 2018-01-08 16:32:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1134926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junakabisque/pseuds/junakabisque
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ghosts only exist in our mind. Is it true? What about the frightening black shadow that haunts Shou every night? What about the male student with a small dagger in his right hand who attacked Saga in the boys toilets? What about the long black-haired woman who crawled on the ceiling that Tora saw? And...what's actually hidden inside the freezer in the storage room in Shou's new flat? All mysteries will be revealed...at past midnight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Past Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to charlotte8888uk@LJ for beta-reading. Adapted from an Indonesian horror film by Koya Pagayo, "Lewat Tengah Malam", with changes here and there. Banner by sazeixrinshou@LJ.

_Tonight…a few seconds past midnight, **the realisation** finally destroyed the **delusion** , which for the past seven days had been making me feel as if I **was** alive…yet in fear._

***

Shou grabbed the sandwich his mother had prepared for him, munching on it very slowly. He had lost his appetite, to tell the truth. However, he didn’t want to leave his stomach empty. Swallowing, biting, munching…Shou was surely taking his time in finishing his simple breakfast. It repeated over and over again. Until finally, he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Shou looked down at the table and reached for his glass of soymilk, only to find that the said glass suddenly moved by itself, avoiding his touch. Shou gasped quietly. His hand was still hanging midway and the palm was open, ready to hold the glass. Slowly, Shou tilted his head to the side. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw a frightening black shadow sitting on the previously empty chair on his right-hand side. The shadow had long black hair that covered her face all over, and her hand was holding Shou’s glass.

~*~

Shou sat bolt upright, gasping loudly and panting. He noticed that his body was covered in cold sweats; it made his pyjamas clutch to his skin tightly. His mind slowly registered that he was still in his bedroom, which was all-dark. He scanned the room frantically, half-hoping that he would find the frightening black shadow in his bedroom as well. However, there was no one else but him alone. His chest was still raising up and down, both elbows propping his body up. His big eyes were staring wildly, seeming unable to believe that it was just a dream, for it felt so real; he could even still taste the salty sandwich in his mouth.

***

Standing beside the window, Shou drank his soymilk as he watched the drizzle outside. He turned his head when he heard his mother strolling around the kitchen, collecting her stuff that she would take to her workplace. Shou frowned, as he suddenly felt annoyed because his mother was clearly ignoring him. He spoke to the woman then.

“So, you don’t believe me?” asked Shou, sounding irritated.

His mother straightened up, turning her head to her only child. Her eyes were cold when she answered her son’s question.

“No. I don’t understand why you’re making such a big fuss.”

Shou rolled his eyes in annoyance, walking forward towards his mother.

“I swear, Okaa-san. Our flat is haunted!”  
“STOP, KAZAMASA!! I’m getting bored hearing your complaints every day! We moved to this apartment block to find a better and nicer life!”

Shou’s expression turned cold after his mother snapped at him. He put his glass of soymilk down in the sink as he walked past her, leaving the kitchen. He didn’t turn back to see his mother’s anxious face as the woman approached the window, occupying Shou’s previous spot and staring at the drizzle in silence. Instead, Shou quickly grabbed his schoolbag and jacket; he put it on, pulling the hood up so that it would hide his face.

Then, he rushed to the front door, unlocked it and exited his and his mother’s new flat. He was about to close the door again when he heard the lift at the end of the narrow and dark hallway open. A rather beautiful woman with long black hair stepped out from the lift, walking in his direction. Shou closed the door, at last, as he walked towards the lift. He and the woman passed each other; they stopped for a while to stare at each other, before they turned their heads away at the same time. When Shou reached the lift, he managed to look back and saw the woman enter the flat next to his. He discovered that the woman was his neighbour. Then, Shou stepped into the lift.

~*~

Shou’s mother left a few minutes after her son did. She locked the door, took the lift to reach the ground floor and walked to the car park. She caught sight of her silver jaguar, half-running towards it as she fished out her car key from inside her pocket. She was reaching for the door handle when all of a sudden; she heard noisy sounds from another car that startled her. She scanned the entire car park for a while and then got into her car, trying to ignore the sounds. She turned on the engine and drove away, leaving the car park.

~*~

Pulling his hood even lower to hide his face, Shou strolled along his school’s corridor. He passed other students who seemed not to acknowledge his presence. All the time, Shou had his head bowed down, hands clutching his schoolbag’s strap so tight. When he passed the notice board, Shou stopped as he saw some news that caught his attention. Somebody had pinned a torn piece of newspaper there. Shou read the headline: _‘A high school student committed suicide by slicing his wrist'._

There was also a picture of the said student on it. Somehow, Shou felt morose as he examined the picture. He knew the student, of course. It was none other than his classmate, Hiroto. Shou stepped closer to the notice board, seeing that some students had written their messages that were addressed to Hiroto. Most of them read: _‘R.I.P. Ogata Hiroto’._

Shou shivered when he suddenly felt goose bumps. From the corner of his eye, he realised that someone was standing on his left side. Slowly, Shou turned his head to see the person next to him. A very pale face of Hiroto stared at him, his eyes were so dark. Shou gasped and subconsciously stepped back. However, Hiroto kept staring at him in silence. Shou reluctantly stared back at him. He noticed that Hiroto was holding a small dagger in his right hand and his left wrist was bleeding. Shou looked back at the notice board, eyeing a bigger-sized photo of Hiroto that had also been pinned above the torn newspaper. The shorter brunette was smiling in that photo. That was when he became aware that Hiroto had turned on his heels, walking away from him.

Without further ado, Shou followed him. He turned right along the corridor, stopping for a while when he saw Hiroto standing outside the boys toilets. Hiroto turned around to face him, silently inviting him to follow him entering the toilets. Hesitating, Shou looked around to make sure that nobody was paying attention to him. Hiroto entered the toilets first, and Shou followed soon after. He peeked into the toilets before entering, though. He found no one inside. Then finally, Shou went in. It was all-dark and quiet, Shou could only hear the sound of water dripping from the tap; somebody might have left it a bit loose in a hurry.

Shou was petrified, standing in the centre of the toilets when he felt something pass behind him. He quickly regained his composure and turned around, finding nothing. Nevertheless, he stepped towards the cubicle door that was left ajar. His eyes grew wider when he saw Hiroto crying inside the cubicle. He was about to knock on the door, but his action was stopped by a sudden bang. He turned around, found nothing and looked back into the cubicle again. Hiroto wasn’t there anymore. Shou decided to find out what it was that made such a loud bang. He checked the other cubicles, and inside the last one, he found the toilet lid was open. He approached it and eyed the hole. A bleeding hand emerged from inside the hole, followed by Hiroto’s head. Shou shrieked so loudly and ran away exiting the toilets. He panted so hard, stopped at the doorway to find the toilets as empty as before and proceeded to leave there as soon as possible.

***

Saga and Nao walked side by side, big grins adorned their lips. At the field, Saga caught sight of his boyfriend, Tora, playing basketball with his classmates. He pulled his arm back from around Nao’s shoulder and spoke to him, “Nao, I’m going to see Tora. See you soon.”

Nao nodded vigorously at him and replied, “Show him that you really are special to him, Saga.”

“ _Ryoukai_!” Saga saluted, winking playfully at his best friend.

As Saga ran towards Tora who had stopped playing and was now resting on the bench, Nao smiled at the two. He left soon after.

 

Saga slowed his pace as he was getting nearer to the bench, sheepishly saying, “Hi…” to Tora and his classmates. The other students eyed each other and then decided to leave the two lovers alone.

“Guys, I don’t mean to shoo you away—”  
“It’s okay, Saga,” said Tora calmly.  
“Well…”  
“Please, sit down.”

Saga did as he was told. He took out a tissue from inside his pocket and patted it onto Tora’s forehead.

“You’re sweating.”

Tora smiled a bit at the gesture and spoke to his light brown-haired lover, “Can you please hold this for me? I want to go to the toilets to wash my face.”  
“Sure,” answered Saga, receiving the basketball from Tora’s hands.

Saga watched Tora’s back as the taller dark-haired teen left him, anxiety shown on the beautiful light brown-haired teen’s face.

~*~

In Shou’s mother’s office…

The woman massaged her temples, her eyebrows knitting together. She felt dizzy again, but she tried to fight the pain in her head. Then, she grabbed the bundle of manuscripts on her table, flipping the pages just so she had something to occupy her.

The door opened and her co-worker entered in. The other woman with short black hair sat across from her, making a confused face when suddenly, Shou’s mother threw the manuscripts back onto the table.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Mizuki?” asked the co-worker, addressing Shou’s mother with her given name.  
“This manuscript is sadistic, spooky and so psychotic. Blood everywhere…There are so many descriptions that need to be cut,” she answered, heaving a loud sigh.  
“Well, that’s your job as an editor. I won’t mind helping you, though.”  
“Sure, thanks.”

She sighed deeply, her hands flying up to massage her temples again.

~*~

Saga leant back onto the wall, playing with the basketball in his hands. He had ended up following Tora to the toilets because the dark-haired teen was taking a long time there. A few moments later, the door of the toilets opened and Tora showed up. He smiled when he saw his boyfriend waiting for him. He approached Saga.

“Feel refreshed?” asked Saga.  
“Yes,” answered Tora shortly and then he added, “Oh, yeah. Saga, would you mind accompanying me to a CD store after school? I’m looking for a film.”  
“Sure. What film?”  
“It’s a western film. I once had the copy, but I think it’s lost. Maybe someone borrowed it and never returned it to me.”  
“Really? What’s the title?”  
“ _Interview with the Vampire_.”

Saga frowned.

“I thought you were not into vampires.”  
“True. But it’s an exception. Shou gave the copy to me back then…a year ago, on my birthday, to be exact. We kinda had a date; we went to a theatre and watched three films in a row. Funny, isn’t it?”

Tora didn’t notice Saga’s irritated face after he mentioned Shou’s name. When the shorter teen threw the basketball to him, Tora was startled. He quickly caught Saga’s wrist to prevent him from leaving.

“Saga!”  
“Why do you never understand my feelings?!”  
“What’s the problem, Saga? What are you afraid of? That I’m cheating on you behind your back with Shou? It’s ridiculous, Saga. Shou and I have been best friends since middle school. We are like brothers. It’s impossible if we’re dating each other.”  
“Maybe I didn’t really care about it before,” Saga fidgeted, “But now, isn’t it normal if your closeness with Shou makes me paranoid?!”  
“Don’t talk nonsense, Saga.”  
“It’s YOU who’s talking nonsense!”

Then, Saga left. Tora sighed in annoyance and threw the basketball to the floor.

***

At the city park…

Shou sat by the pond alone, sometimes throwing pebbles into the calm water. He didn’t hear footsteps behind him, approaching him. He turned his head in surprise when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

“Shou?”

Shou’s surprised expression was replaced by a smile when he found that it was Tora who had called him.

“Hi, Tora.”

Tora reluctantly sat down next to Shou, his eyes never leaving the brunette teen. He put his schoolbag on his lap and then spoke to Shou.

“I went to your house a couple of times, but it was always empty. Where have you been?”  
“My mother and I moved to a new apartment block.”

They were silent. Then, Shou turned to face Tora and found that the dark-haired teen was staring at him in an odd way.

“What’s wrong, Tora?”  
“Nah, nothing…” Tora shook his head, “Erm, Shou…Actually, I have something for you.”

Tora fumbled through his schoolbag and took out a medium size carton box from inside it. He handed it to Shou who received it with a sheepish smile. Shou opened the box and gasped when he saw what lay inside. It was a portrait of him, drawn by Tora himself. His smile turned into a cheeky grin.

“It’s so beautiful, Tora.”  
“I was supposed to give it to you seven days ago, but you never showed up at school. No one could figure where you were. Your mobile phone wasn’t on. I thought you were mad at me…remembering that maybe you’ve heard _it_ from somebody.”  
“Hear what?”  
“I’m…dating Saga now.”

Tora waited until Shou gave a response. Then, Shou smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that, Tora. Saga is a nice guy and you two really suit each other. Why did you think that I was mad at you because of that? Don’t be silly, Tora.”

Shou grinned, but Tora looked morose. He forced himself to smile after that, though.

~*~

In Shou’s flat…

Shou’s mother had returned home and now she was editing the manuscript she had read this morning at work. She sat on the sofa, putting one leg underneath her. A black shadow flashed before her for a brief second and when she looked up from the manuscript in her hands, she saw no one. She took her glasses off, staring at the empty space before her eyes. She stood up from the couch, walking forward and calling her son’s name.

“Kazamasa?”

She decided to check around her flat. She found no one. She exited her flat, checking the narrow dark hallway this time. When her back was facing the lift at the end of the hallway, the black shadow appeared again. She felt it and she turned around hastily. Again, she saw no one, and the lift was also empty. She shook her head in confusion and decided to go back inside.

She made her way towards her son’s bedroom. She found him sleeping on his bed. She approached the bed and sat on it. A smile formed on her lips as she saw her son sleeping peacefully. She caressed Shou’s hair lovingly and sighed. She averted her gaze, scanning her son’s entire bedroom. Her eyes widened in surprise and in an instant, she looked angry when she caught sight of garlic and charms hanging on her son’s door. She made a note to herself that she had to talk about it with her son tomorrow morning.

***

“Kazamasa, I want you take down all the weird stuff that’s hanging on your door. Understand?” Shou’s mother spoke to him as she poured a glass of soymilk for him.  
“But they keep me safe, Okaa-san…from the ghost that haunts our fl—”  
“It’s just superstition, Kazamasa. Ghosts only exist in our mind,” interrupted the woman, pointing at her temple to emphasise her words.  
“You don’t underst—”  
“I said, take them down!”

Shou looked upset. He rose up from his chair, only to hear his mother order him to sit back down, which he complied. However, he still tried to reassure his mother.

“Okaa-san, you have to belie—”  
“Shut up! Now eat your breakfast!”

Shou had no other choice but to obey.

~*~

_“The tumour in your head has to be removed, Mrs. Kohara. The sedative you’re taking only helps you a bit. It may even cause you to hallucinate or lose some memories.”_

 

Shou’s mother eyed the sedative in her hand, the doctor’s words replaying in her mind repeatedly.

 

_“I guess everything’s clear now. We shouldn’t live together anymore,” she said to her husband._  
“But I still have the rights to see Kazamasa!” insisted the man who sat across from her.  
“What if Kazamasa doesn’t want to see you?”  
“… He’s still my son, no matter what!” 

 

Massaging her temples very roughly, Shou’s mother stood up and walked towards the bathroom. She dumped the sedative into the toilet.

***

Under the shady tree, Tora was peacefully drawing something in his sketchbook. He didn’t hear Saga arrive beside him until the said teen spoke to him.

“What are you drawing?”

He was a bit surprised. He closed his sketchbook, earning a stare from Saga who then sat on the ground beside him.

“What were you drawing, Tora?” Saga repeated his question, sounding annoyed. 

Tora merely shook his head and said nothing.

“Am I disturbing you? Or don’t you like it if I come to see you?”  
“It’s not that,” Tora broke off and then continued, “If we see each other, we’ll only have an argument.”  
“That’s because I’m…afraid of losing you, Tora,” defended Saga.

Tora gave no response. Saga bit his lower lip and suddenly grabbed his lover’s sketchbook without his permission. He flipped open the pages and his mouth gaped open in disbelief. Beside him, Tora merely looked at him in silence.

“I…didn’t know you’d drawn so many portraits of…me. They’re all so beautiful, Tora,” he smiled sheepishly, “Which photo of me did you use as a model, anyway?”  
“I no longer need a photo to draw a portrait of you, Saga.”

Tora’s words made Saga blush. He turned his head to side, unable to hide his big smile. Tora turned his head in the same direction, attempting to tease the blushing teen. However, that was when he unintentionally caught sight of Shou standing awkwardly in the middle of the corridor. Other students walked past him, as if they couldn’t see Shou standing there. Tora thought that Shou looked miserable, even though his hood hid half of his face. Then, Shou turned in the corridor and was nowhere within Tora’s sight anymore.

“Saga,”  
“Yes?”  
“I…I just remember I need to go to the library. Erm, excuse me.”  
“To-Tora?”

Saga was confused, but he didn’t prevent his boyfriend from leaving. The dark-haired teen had vanished from his sight so quickly and Saga pouted. He stood up, dusted his trousers off and went searching for Nao.

In the meantime, Tora was walking down the corridor, looking for Shou. He spotted the tall brunette in the building across from him, turning left in the corridor. He tried to chase him, but somehow Shou walked so fast.

~*~

“I don’t think your problem with Tora will be settled anytime soon, Saga,” said Nao suddenly.  
“I don’t know how to settle it, Nao. We’re not even sure what our problem is,” replied Saga in a tiny voice.  
“You two have just been together for a month, but you’ve already fought more than once!”  
“We didn’t ask for it, Nao.”  
“One of you has to understand the other more!”  
“I…don’t know, Nao.”  
“You have to be tougher, Saga!”  
“I…”

Saga’s sentence was cut off when he saw Tora standing in front of him. Nao stood up from the bench and stepped forward towards Tora. He glared up at the taller teen.

“For how long are you going to keep making Saga feel anxious?”

Saga’s eyes widened at Nao’s action. When Tora said nothing, he only felt even worse. He stood up as well, but it was to leave. A single tear escaped his eye as he ran to the toilets.

 

Inside the toilets, Saga faced the mirror and continued crying. However, he stopped when he heard another crying sound from one of the cubicles. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and hesitantly approached the cubicle. He reached the cubicle door and pressed his ear to it. The crying sound came from inside it. Suddenly, a small dagger stabbed through the door. Saga shrieked. He stepped back and that was when the lights were acting up; they were turned off, on, and off again. Saga’s heart pounded hard against his chest. He turned around and saw a figure of a male student standing a few feet away from him. He blinked to get better view of that student, but then he was suddenly standing only an inch away from Saga. Saga didn’t even see him moving. Saga shrieked again, falling to the floor. He crawled back and desperately called out Tora’s name.

“Tora…Tora, help me. I’m so scared, Tora.”

He cowered under the sink and trembled so badly. He cried out Tora’s name and his tears fell again, wetting his face. The male student appeared beside him so suddenly; it made the light brown-haired teen scream so loud. With his last bit of courage, Saga ran to the door and exited the toilets.

Saga bumped into someone whilst running. Fortunately, the person he had bumped into caught him before he fell.

“Saga? What happened?”

Saga knew whose voice it was. Without warning, he buried his face in the other student’s neck and sobbed loudly.

“Saga?”  
“To-Tora…In the toilets…”  
“What?”  
“I saw a ghost.”

Then, Saga cried even harder. Tora could only pat his back to calm him down as he tightened his embrace.

***

Tora’s car arrived in front of Saga’s house. Saga stayed in the passenger seat, though. Then, Tora reached his hand to touch Saga’s and held it tightly.

“It’s okay, Saga.”  
“I’m…afraid of being alone now.”  
“You’ll be fine.”  
“Why don’t you stay with me, Tora? Just for tonight. Please…” Saga pleaded.  
“I…I’m sorry, I can’t.”  
“Why?”

Tora didn’t answer. Saga sighed and opened the car door. Before he got out from the car, Tora pulled him and suddenly kissed him on the lips. All thoughts about Shou disappeared from Saga’s mind in an instant. He kissed his lover back and pulled back soon after. Tora’s hand brushed his cheek.

“I love you.”  
“… And I love you,” replied Saga.

Then, Saga got out of Tora’s car. He waved at him and watched until Tora drove away. Walking past the front gate, Saga stopped midway when he felt something behind him. He had the feeling that the male student ghost with a small dagger in his right hand was following him to his house. He turned around, but he found no one. He decided to get inside quickly.

~*~

“ _What? You saw a ghost? Hiroto’s ghost?!_ ”  
“I swear, Nao. I saw Hiroto’s ghost in the toilets. I can’t stop thinking about it,” answered Saga, holding his mobile phone in his hand, which was pressed to his ear tightly.  
“ _Maybe you’re just stressed over your problem with Tora,_ ” said Nao on the other line.  
“Me? Stressed about my problem with Tora? It’s impossible, Nao. How could it have anything to do with the apparition I saw?”  
“ _It is possible, Saga. You’re just too stressed. It makes you see apparition._ ”  
“Nonsense. There’s no such thing as only a stressed person being able to see an apparition. Somehow, I find it insulting,” Saga’s voice sounded bitter when he said this.

Before Nao could say anything, Saga had hung up. He felt irritated by Nao’s reaction. He threw his mobile phone to the bed and was about to lie down when suddenly, he saw Hiroto sitting beside him. Saga sat bolt upright again and in a blink of an eye, Hiroto had disappeared. Saga moved to the spot Hiroto had occupied earlier. It was smooth as if no one had ever sat on it. Saga fisted his clothed chest and took a deep breath. He was about to feel relieved when he felt something again behind him. He slowly turned around and found Hiroto standing on his bed, towering above him. Saga screamed loudly until his throat felt sore. Hiroto inched closer to him and Saga couldn’t move. Hiroto held up his right hand that was holding a small dagger and without warning brought it down to Saga’s left eye.

~*~

“NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!”

Saga panted heavily, cold sweat covering his body. His eyes wildly scanned his bedroom. His mobile phone lay on his bed and he looked at it. He found out that it was half an hour after he had called Nao and that he had fallen asleep after that. It was just a dream.

***

Shou walked behind his mother, following her and the doctor who led them to his father’s room. They stopped in front of the door with a wooden tag board stuck on it, it read: Room No.13.

“This is his room,” said the doctor to Shou’s mother.

Shou’s mother entered the room right away, whilst Shou eyed the tag board in an odd way. Shou noticed the doctor heaved a sigh before he entered the room as well. Then, Shou followed him. Once inside, Shou found his father lying on the bed; his arms and legs were tied to the bedposts. His mother looked down at him in silence. The doctor spoke up.

“We had no choice but to tie him up. He has tried to cut his right ear with a knife. About his right eye, though,” the doctor broke off, staring at the man’s right eye that was bandaged, “I’m sorry, we couldn’t save it. He had passed out when we found him.”  
“How did he hurt his right eye?” asked Shou’s mother.  
“…He stuck his own index finger into it,” answered the doctor.

The woman said nothing as she exited the room. Shou followed her in confusion.

“Okaa-san, you don’t feel concerned about Otou-san’s condition?”  
“He’s nothing to me now.”

Then, she walked away, leaving Shou alone.

~*~

“The spirits of dead people will usually be bound to earth for forty days before they cross over,” Nao said to Saga.

Nao had come over to Saga’s house after Saga told him about the dream he had.

“They will usually show themselves to a few chosen people too,” he added, “In some cases, they show themselves to people whose death is near. As if, they’re going to fetch them and cross over together.”  
“But, Nao…this is according to your grandma, isn’t it?” asked Saga, sounding unsure.  
“Still, you have to be careful, Saga.”  
“Yeah, I know. It’s true that my relationship with Tora is getting worse, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the spirits of dead people, Nao.”

Nao pursed his lips.

“Maybe…it’ll be better if you and Tora make up.”  
“Hmm…” hummed Saga, biting his lower lip.

~*~

Shou entered the small storage room in his flat. At the corner of it, there was a freezer. Shou could tell that it was still in a good condition, actually. He thought that it might belong to the previous family who lived there. The freezer’s size was big enough to hide a person inside it. Shou took a step closer to it and he thought that if he bent his body and legs, he would fit inside it. Shou quickly shook his head. Why would he want to hide inside a freezer, anyway? Surely, it wouldn’t stop the ghost from haunting him every night, would it? He decided to leave the storage room and approached his mother in the kitchen.

“Okaa-san, why don’t we clean the storage room?”  
“I wanted to, but the stuff inside it is not ours, Kazamasa. I’m still waiting for the real owner to take it all back. They haven’t showed up yet, though.”

Shou nodded in silence and lowered his head. When he looked up, he saw a black shadow over his mother’s shoulder. He gasped loudly and it startled his mother.

“What’s wrong, Kazamasa?”

Knowing that it would be better if he didn’t mention a ghost in front of his mother again, Shou shook his head.

“Erm…Nothing. I—I’m going back to my bedroom then.”  
“Wait, Kazamasa.”  
“Y-yes?”

His mother walked towards the dining table and took the camcorder that lay on it, holding it up. Shou eyed the camcorder in his mother’s hands.

“What did you use it for the last time?”  
“Unh…I don’t remember. Why don’t you watch it?”  
“I can’t. It won’t open.”  
“Well, just leave the cassette in it, perhaps? Do you want to use it?”  
“My co-worker wants to borrow it to record her daughter’s birthday party tomorrow. Where’s the AV decoder, anyway?”  
“I don’t know. I haven’t used it in a while.”  
“Kazamasa…I think you have been musing so often recently.”

Shou didn’t say anything in response. Then, his mother left him alone in the kitchen, bringing the camcorder along with her. Shou sighed. He poured a glass of soymilk for himself and took it back to his bedroom. He sat on the floor, leaning on his bed and drank the soymilk. Whilst doing so, he felt goose bumps on the back of his neck. He put his glass down and lifted his hand to brush the back of his neck and that was when suddenly his table lamp fell, as if an invisible hand had hit it. Shou was startled. He regained his composure and crawled to the lamp to put it back in its place. When he held it up, the light shone on the spot beside him and Shou saw a very terrifying face of a woman staring at him. The lamp slithered from Shou’s grasp as the tall brunette teen hurriedly stood up and ran to his mother’s bedroom.

“Okaa-san!” Shou called out.

He opened the door without knocking, panting hardly.

“Okaa-san, I saw a gho—”

Shou stopped talking when he felt that the figure that was standing in the centre of his mother’s bedroom wasn’t his mother.

“Okaa-san…?”

The figure didn’t answer.

“Okaa-san,” Shou called her again.

Then, suddenly his mother appeared behind him.

“Kazamasa?”

Shou’s eyes widened. He looked back into the room and found no one inside, and then he hugged his mother.

“Okaa-san.”  
“Kazamasa? What’s wrong?”

However, Shou only hugged his mother tighter.

~ * ~

Usually, if Tora had other things to do and was unable to drive Saga home, the light brown-haired teen would go home with his best friend Nao. During lunch break today, Tora had informed Saga that he had to run an errand after school. That was why he was now walking side by side with Nao in the schoolyard. Nao nudged his shoulder and whispered to him.

“Saga, isn’t that Shou’s mother?”

Saga looked up and saw a beautiful woman who looked like Shou approaching them. The woman pushed her sunglasses up onto her head before speaking to Saga.

“Takashi-kun, right?”  
“ _Hai_ …”  
“Do you know where Kazamasa is?” she asked again.

Saga and Nao eyed each other, and then hesitantly, Saga answered, “Kohara-san, your son has been absent for six days.”  
“What?!” the woman looked surprised, “Is that true?!”

Saga and Nao nodded in unison. They said nothing when Shou’s mother left them, muttering ‘thanks’ with a slightly aggravated tone.

~*~

“I’ll call you back as soon as possible. Yes, don’t worry, I’ve eaten dinner. _Hai_ , speak to you again soon.”

Tora hung up the phone; he had just talked to Saga earlier. He shoved his mobile phone back inside his trouser pocket, all the time being watched by Shou who was walking beside him. Shou didn’t say anything, but Tora told him nonetheless that it was Saga who phoned him before.

“…Saga said that your mother came to our school to pick you up. I could tell that Saga is worried about you too.”

Shou remained silent. Tora let him be, as he opened his car door and without further ado, Shou got in and sat in the passenger seat. Tora had just got into his car as well and was about to close the door when suddenly, Shou saw something fall from the sky right onto Tora’s car window. He couldn’t help but scream really loudly. Tora jumped in surprise, turning his head to Shou who had covered his face with his palms in fear.

“Shou! What’s wrong??”

Shou could say nothing. He panted, blindly pointing his index finger at the window. Tora averted his gaze to the window and examined it. There were handprints on it. Slowly, he brought his hand towards the window and fingered the handprints. He looked confused. Then, he wasted no time as he turned the engine and drove away.

~*~

Shou’s mother felt content as she lay back in the bathtub, eyes shut tight. She rubbed her temples all the time, though. She was just about to feel relaxed, but then she snapped her eyes open when she felt something floating above her. There was indeed a black shadow floating above her; her long black hair hung down almost touching Shou’s mother’s breasts. The woman blinked, and a second after, the black shadow vanished. For a few moments, Shou’s mother was silent. Then, she decided that it was just a hallucination and she closed her eyes again. However, she heard the sound of a door being unlocked afterwards. Feeling disturbed, Shou’s mother finished her bath.

Wearing her bathrobe, Shou’s mother exited the bathroom and attempted to find the source of the noisy sounds earlier. This time, she heard the sound of a door being swung open. She ran to the front door and checked the narrow dark hallway, but found nobody outside. She walked slowly but surely towards the lift, and jumped in surprise when a hand touched her shoulder. A beautiful woman with long black hair stood before her. She was the same woman Shou had seen days ago when he went to school; they passed each other in this hallway that time.

“Di-did you see anyone here before?” Shou’s mother asked the woman.  
“I think so,” the woman answered, her voice was so low.  
“What did that person look like?”  
“…I don’t know. They were indistinctive.”  
“Bastard! I thought this apartment building was safe!” cursed Shou’s mother.

As she went back to her flat, the woman eyed her in silence.

~*~

“Shou…”  
“Oh, c’mon, Tora. Don’t you believe me? I saw it with my own eyes! That woman fell from the sky right onto your car window! You did see the handprints too, didn’t you?!” Shou pointed his index finger at the handprints on Tora’s car window again.  
“Maybe those handprints have been there before, but we just didn’t notice them at first,” said Tora.  
“…Fine, you don’t believe me.”

Tora turned his head away from Shou, not wanting to see the brunette’s disappointed expression. He sighed and spoke again, “I do believe you, Shou.”

Shou could only nod. Then, he excused himself to leave. He got out of Tora’s car and walked to his apartment block, taking the staircase. When he was nowhere within Tora’s sight, the dark-haired teen leant over to his car window and fingered the handprints again. He decided to ignore them and drove away.

In the meantime, Shou had reached the lift. He stepped into it, pressing the button to his floor and waited until the lift took him up to the third floor. It only took a few minutes and the lift opened again. Shou saw a middle-aged man standing outside the lift. He nodded slightly at the man, but he seemed unaware of it. Shou stepped out, though, and was hesitating to either greet the man or not, when he saw the man’s hand fly up to the back of his neck; the man was shivering. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion, so did Shou’s. Then, the man shook his head, hurriedly stepped in to the lift and pressed the button.

Shou continued strolling along the hallway, heading to his flat. He had just come to realise that the hallway was always completely dark, lit only by a few dim neon lights. He opened the door to his flat, closed it again and toed off his shoes. He heard his mother’s voice call him. She sounded angry.

“Kazamasa.”  
“… _Hai_ , Okaa-san.”

His mother stared at him coldly, her arms crossed over her chest. She said nothing and turned around, walking to the kitchen. Shou understood that the woman wanted him to follow her. Once the two of them sat around the dining table, Shou fidgeted uneasily, waiting for his mother to speak up. She finally did.

“If you don’t want to continue your schooling anymore, tell me,” she said coldly, “Where have you been for the past six days, Kazamasa?”

Shou kept his head bowed down. His mother rested her hands on the dining table, leaning over towards him.

“You’ve been lying to me, Kazamasa. Why?”

No answers. Shou’s mother then banged the table hardly with her palm.

“Speak up, Kazamasa!”  
“I—I…I’m scared, Okaa-san,” Shou stuttered.  
“Scared of what?!”  
“I’m scared of…meeting so many people,” answered Shou, sounding almost inaudible.  
“YOU’RE LYING!!”  
“I’m not, Okaa-san. I don’t understand either why I’m feeling like this. I wanted to tell you, but…I didn’t think you’d understand.”  
“So, now you think I’ve become indifferent towards you? I’ve become irresponsible and now you can’t trust your own mother anymore?!”

Shou didn’t answer. His mother rose up from her chair, pulling Shou up to his feet and dragged him along to the storage room. Shou was actually strong enough to release himself from his mother’s tight grasp, but he didn’t do that.

“Okaa-san, please, don’t…” Shou pleaded.  
“Silence!”

The woman opened the door to the storage room and pushed her son inside, until Shou fell onto the dirty floor.

“Okaa-san—”  
“Stay there tonight!”  
“Okaa-san, no…”

His mother didn’t listen to him and locked the door from outside. Shou kept pleading; his tears were falling down his cheeks. He heard his mother’s footsteps walking away, leaving him locked up alone there. He crawled back, leaning on the freezer. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, sobbing quietly.

About half an hour later when Shou felt tired, he stopped crying. He began to realise that even though the storage room was all-dark, he felt safe. There was nobody around him who acted as though they couldn’t see Shou. Not only that, the freezer he leant onto felt warm and Shou had the sudden urge to hide inside it. As if, he would find peace there, as if he actually belonged inside it. He nearly opened the freezer, but he stopped midway when finally sleep claimed him.

~*~

The next morning…

The door cracked open, allowing light to penetrate into the storage room. Shou’s eyes fluttered open and he slowly realised that his mother was standing in the doorway, holding the door open for him. She looked miserable. She didn’t say anything, though. When she left, Shou took that as a hint that his mother had allowed him to come out of the storage room. He stood up, dusted his trousers off and straightened his wrinkled school uniform before he went out.

***

In Shou’s mother’s office…

Hands propping her head, Shou’s mother took a deep breath. Her co-worker looked concerned for her.

“How’s your son now?” she asked.  
“I’ve apologised, but Kazamasa remained silent,” answered Shou’s mother, sounding desperate.  
“I understand. People tend to lose control when they’re angry. They don’t realise that they’re actually hurting their loved ones. It’s just worse because you have problem with anger management, Mizuki.”  
“There are times where I can’t seem to remember what I’ve done since we moved to our new flat,” she said again, massaging her temples.  
“Yeah…Besides, you don’t live with your husband anymore. It must be hard to be a single parent.”  
“Hizumi’s condition’s getting worse. I’m able to forget him now, though. I only want to think about Kazamasa, but Kazamasa has been complaining about weird stuff recently.”  
“What do you mean, ‘weird stuff’?”  
“He said…our flat is haunted.”

Her co-worker furrowed her eyebrows.

“Have you seen any apparitions then?”  
“…No.”  
“Well…I think you needn’t worry about that. You had better pay more attention to your son. You’re the only one he can depend on now, Mizuki.”

Right at that moment, the phone rang. Shou’s mother took the receiver and answered the call. Her co-worker kept eyeing her as she spoke to the person on the other line with a worried expression.

~*~

Shou opened the box on his lap. His precious stuff was hidden inside it, including his mobile phone. He hadn’t turned it on anymore since the first day he began ditching school. Pushing aside the mobile phone, Shou took out a few photos from inside it. They were all photos of him with both of his parents. They looked happy in those photos. For what seemed like eternity, Shou kept staring at those photos. His surroundings became quieter than ever, just like in a grave. Vaguely, Shou heard a sound of fingernails scratching the wall. The sound became louder, breaking the silence. He looked up from the photos he’d been staring at earlier and found a figure of a woman with long black hair hanging upside down on the wall in front of him, her fingernails scratching the wall, producing unpleasant sounds. The photos slithered from Shou’s hands as he crawled back in fear. The dark figure crawled down towards him. Shou found it difficult to move. The figure was getting closer to him. When suddenly she crawled onto all fours so fast, Shou gathered his last bit of courage and strength and dashed out, exiting his bedroom. He ran to the front door, unlocking it in panic and once it opened, she was already standing outside his door. Shou shrieked loudly before he fainted.

~*~

“GO AWAY!! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYMORE! GO AWAY!!”

The paramedics tried to hold Shou’s father down. The straps that tied him up had become useless. In the doorway, Shou’s mother watched her husband in silence, her expression was unreadable. The doctor stood beside her.

“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH MY WIFE AND SON!! YOU’RE DEAD! GO AWAY!”

Shou’s mother swallowed, turning her head away. The doctor then spoke to her.

“Your husband’s kept talking nonsense like that for the past few days. Yesterday…he bit the ear of one of our staff until it was severed. We assumed that he thought our member of staff was the one who’s been haunting him.”  
“Who’s been haunting him, actually?”  
“We haven’t figured it out yet,” the doctor answered, sighing deeply.

***

Tora arrived at the third floor of Shou’s new apartment block. Shou had given him his new address and just now Tora had the chance to visit him in his new place. Tora stepped out from the lift and headed to Shou’s flat, strolling along the narrow dark hallway. He was surprised when he found the door wide open. He peeked inside before he entered, though.

“…Shou?” Tora called out to Shou, holding the doorknob.

He got no answers. Hesitantly, Tora decided to go in. He kept calling out Shou’s name. Until he reached the living room, he found Shou lying on the couch. Beside him, a beautiful woman with long black hair was accompanying him. Shou noticed Tora’s appearance and he lifted his head up.

“Tora…”

The woman turned her head to Tora as well. Tora eyed her suspiciously.

“He fainted. He said that he saw a ghost. I heard his loud shriek from my flat. Therefore, I quickly ran outside to see what had happened,” said the woman.  
“Jun-san, thank you so much. I’m feeling better now,” added Shou.

The woman who was called Jun-san by Shou earlier nodded her head politely. Then, she rose up from her chair, leaving Tora and Shou alone. When she walked past Tora, they stared at each other for a few seconds. After she really left, Tora approached Shou and sat on the chair that was occupied by Shou’s mysterious neighbour earlier.

“Your neighbour?” asked Tora, confirming his guess.  
“Unh,” Shou nodded in addition, “Tora, that ghost I saw…I think she wants to tell me something.”  
“What is it?”  
“I dunno…It’s…indistinct, somewhat. Anyway…”

Shou tried to sit, Tora quickly helped him.

“There’s something I want to show you.”

Shou carefully stood up. He led Tora to the back of his flat where the storage room was located. They stood in front of the door, not close enough, though.

“Look there,” said Shou, pointing at the closed door.  
“What’s in there, Shou?”  
“Can’t you feel it? I think…that ghost is still here.”  
“Shou…be careful, please.”

Shou nodded and muttered ‘thanks’ to Tora. They left there then. Shou walked Tora to the front door. Once they reached it, Shou leant back against the wall and spoke in a low voice.

“Sometimes, I feel more scared of my mother than the ghost.”  
“Why’s that?” asked Tora, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
“I’m just…scared. Even of seeing her. Maybe it’s because of her job as an editor of mystery books; she can’t seem to tell which is real life and which is not anymore. Do you know? Her boss once suggested that she should go to a psychiatrist,” Shou heaved a sigh.  
“Psychiatrist?” repeated Tora, sounding surprised.  
“When she’s angry, she’ll lose control.”  
“Is it _that_ serious, Shou?”  
“Yes. Small problems could become big. Back then, one of her co-workers accidentally stepped on her ballpoint pen until it was broken in half. Then, my mother became so angry; she hit her co-worker’s head really hard until they needed to take her to a hospital.”

Tora couldn’t think of better words. Then, he patted Shou’s shoulder, smiling at him.

“Shou, it’s okay. Your mother will be fine.”

Shou nodded again. Then, Tora excused himself to leave. The dark-haired teen told Shou to get back inside, which Shou did without any protest. Silent for a while, Tora stepped back and headed to the lift. He waited until the lift arrived on the third floor. Whilst doing so, the dim neon lights were suddenly acting up. Tora was startled. He focused his eyes on the dark hallway. Tora couldn’t help but move his legs back to the hallway; he was very curious about what was happening. He almost reached Shou’s door again when suddenly, a woman with long black hair emerged from the darkness, crawling on the ceiling towards him. Tora was shocked, he almost fell. However, he managed to steady himself and ran back to the lift. He pressed the button frantically. Once the lift opened, he got in and pressed the button again until the lift closed.

~*~

Shou decided to check the storage room again. He turned on the light, but it was just as dim as the ones in the hallway. However, it was enough to make him see that some torn newspapers were sprawled on the dirty floor. He didn’t notice it before. The ones near the freezer caught Shou’s attention, for they were blood-stained. Shou squatted down and reached his hand out to touch the bloodstains. He stopped midway, though, when he heard his mother’s voice call him. Shou stood up, leaving the storage room. He approached his mother in her bedroom. Once he arrived there, his mother glared angrily at him.

“What is this, Kazamasa?!”

Shou bit his lower lip in fear.

“Did you enter my bedroom without my permission?!”

It was true that Shou entered his mother’s bedroom without her permission before. He wanted to check something, regarding the ghost that haunted their flat. Shou bowed his head.

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”  
“What now, Kazamasa? Ghost again?! I can’t believe it! You really are hard to handle, Kazamasa!”

His mother stomped her foot in fury, banging the door closed right on Shou’s face. Shou held back the urge to cry. Instead, he went to the bathroom. He grabbed the sink and bowed his head. Two drops of blood fell into the sink and Shou lifted his head up to face the mirror. He saw his reflection in it and saw that his nose was bleeding. Shou quickly wiped the blood with the back of his hand. When he straightened up, he saw a black shadow behind him. He turned around, but the shadow had vanished. Shou furrowed his eyebrows and then exited the bathroom.

Since he just had a fight with his mother, Shou didn’t feel comfortable staying in the flat tonight. He grabbed his hooded jacket, wore it and left the flat without telling his mother that he was going out for a walk. In a short time, he had reached the pavement. He didn’t know that in their flat, his mother was feeling bad about their fight earlier and now the woman had come to his bedroom, just to find it empty. The woman sighed in regret, sitting on Shou’s bed.

On the pavement, Shou had pulled his hood up to hide his face, just like usual. He stopped walking when he reached the shelter. He wasn’t waiting for a bus. He just simply stood there in silence. The peaceful silence was ruined when he felt someone standing on his right-hand side. He had the feeling he knew who was standing there. However, he still gasped in surprise when he tilted his head and saw the woman who had been haunting him standing next to him. Shou couldn’t believe that she was following him anywhere he went. This time, though, the ghost didn’t attack him. She merely stood there, not even moving slightly. Shou turned around, back facing her. He didn’t want to see her anymore. After a few seconds, Shou encouraged himself to look back. Then, he knew that the ghost had vanished. Shou sighed in relief. Just then, a dead body suddenly fell from the sky right before his feet. Shou jumped in surprise. It wasn’t the same ghost as the one that had been haunting him. It was another dead body Shou had never seen before. Shou felt scared yet curious at the same time. He stepped forward towards the dead body, attempting to see the face. Without anticipating it before, the dead body suddenly moved. Shou shrieked loudly and hastily ran away from the shelter.

In their flat, Shou’s mother hadn’t left her son’s bedroom. She was holding a cat plushie she had bought for Shou when he was five years old. She couldn’t believe her son still slept with that cat plushie until now. She hugged the plushie, her expression was so sad. All of a sudden, she heard a loud bang. She put the plushie on Shou’s bed and exited her son’s bedroom. She checked the living room first, eyeing the front door suspiciously. Little did she know that behind her, a long black hair was hanging down, almost touching her shoulder. She felt it a second later and turned around. She saw no one. Then, a black shadow flashed behind her. She faced the front door again and shouted at no one in particular, “Who’s there?!”

She felt so annoyed now. She exited her flat, finding a woman that she knew was her neighbour standing outside her door. She approached her then.

“What the hell are you doing in front of my door?!”  
“I saw somebody sneak in to your flat.”  
“You lie! Don’t make excuses! You are the one who’s been disturbing my family all this time, aren’t you?!”  
“But I did see somebody sneak in to your flat.”  
“There’s nobody here but me!”  
“I think she has bad intentions.”   
“Get out of my sight! Now!”  
“You don’t know what’s precisely happening to you,” added the woman, ignoring Shou’s mother’s yell.  
“You bitch!”

Shou’s mother lifted her hand to slap the woman across the face, but her hand met empty air. The woman had vanished. She gasped in shock. She looked around and decided to find the woman in her flat. She knocked on the door harshly, shouting, “Open the door! Now!”

The door opened and a man’s face emerged from the little gap.

“May I help you, Ma’am?” he asked.  
“I’m looking for a woman with long black hair who’s been sneaking in to my flat without my permission! I heard she’s living here.”  
“Wait a sec, maybe you mean my wife?”

Then, the man opened the door wider, calling out to his wife. She appeared a few seconds later, looking puzzled. Shou’s mother’s expression was not different as hers.

“No. She’s not the one I meant.”  
“I’m sorry, but there is no one else but the two of us who live in this flat,” explained the man’s wife.  
“Are you sure?!”  
“Yes, I am.”  
“My wife’s telling the truth. Or maybe…you meant you saw the woman who lived here before us? If I’m not mistaken, her name is Kisaragi Jun. But I heard she died…long ago.”

Shou’s mother’s eyes widened. She couldn’t say a word.

~*~

Shou returned home very late. The lights had all been turned off. He was walking towards his bedroom; when he passed his mother’s bedroom, he heard her talking in her sleep. Shou couldn’t help but peek inside. He saw his mother tossing around in her bed. He reluctantly entered, approaching the bed.

“Okaa-san…”

His mother didn’t answer, of course. Then, Shou reached his hand out to take the photo frame on the bedside table. A photo of him and his mother. Shou held the photo frame against his chest.

***

The next day…

After school, Tora went to Saga’s class. The light brown-haired teen smiled at him because when Tora came to his class after school, that meant his boyfriend could drive him home. They were now walking to the car park. When they arrived beside Tora’s car, Saga suddenly felt dizzy and he lost his balance. Fortunately, Tora caught him at the right time.

“Saga, what’s wrong?” asked Tora, pressing his palm on Saga’s forehead.  
“Lately…I’ve kept having headaches,” replied Saga.  
“Should I take you to the clinic?”  
“No, thanks, Tora. I’m fine. Let’s just get in the car, okay?”  
“Are you sure?”

Saga nodded and smiled, reassuring his boyfriend who looked worried. Then, the dark-haired teen opened the car door for him, not failing to notice that Saga rubbed his temple as he got in.

~*~

“I don’t know what else to say, Kazamasa!” shouted Shou’s mother.  
“But we really have to find out who that ghost actually is, Okaa-san.”  
“Do not force me, Kazamasa!! Didn’t I tell you that ghosts only exist in our mind?!”  
“Okaa-san, I beg you. Please believe me,” Shou pleaded desperately, “Help me to find out who she is.”  
“I could go insane if I kept listening to your nonsense, Kazamasa!”  
“Okaa-san, you’re so mean!!”

Shou stood up, and that was when his mother slapped him across the face. Shou fell to the floor, his hand flying up to touch his cheek. On the other hand, his mother looked pained as she staggered back, hand holding her head. Some vague scenes flashed behind her eyelids. She saw herself hit her own son’s head until he fell, blood gushing out from the back of his head, his eyes were shut tight and he lay motionless on the floor. She propped Shou’s body up but her son never opened his eyes.

Shou pulled himself up to his feet and ran towards his mother.

“Okaa-san, what’s wrong? Okaa-san…”

Shou hugged his mother tightly, afraid of losing her. His mother became aware of her surroundings again and she hugged her son back. She sounded miserable when she called Shou’s name repeatedly.

“Kazamasa…Ooh, Kazamasa…Forgive me, my son.”

Shou could say nothing when his mother tightened her embrace and caressed his hair.

~*~

In Room No.13…

Shou’s father faced the ceiling in frustration. A certain scene replayed in his head.

 

_“I won’t go for an abortion, no matter what!!”_  
“I said, abort it!!” shouted Shou’s father.  
“No,” the long black-haired woman shook her head, “I won’t!”  
“You’re not the only one who’s suffering because of your pregnancy!”  
“You bastard!” 

_The woman hit Shou’s father’s chest._

_“Just wait, Hizumi…I will make your wife and son suffer! Just wait!!”  
“What did you say?!”_

 

Shou’s father’s fist balled up in anger.

~*~

Shou was at the city park again. Today, the wind was blowing so hard. The hooded jacket he was wearing had failed to warm him up. Shou walked to the wooden bench under a big tree and sat down on it. A few moments later, someone came approaching him. It was Tora. The dark-haired teen sat next to him. Shou smiled at him.

“I thought you wouldn’t be here,” said Tora.  
“I don’t know where else to go, Tora. I only find peace in this park,” replied Shou.

Tora was silent. Then, Shou spoke again.

“Tora…I don’t understand why…sometimes people are forced to fathom things that are so indistinct, even though they’re unable to. They are forced to live with the emptiness, even though they don’t want to.”

Tora took a long time to respond.

“Do you feel that way?”  
“Yes. Up until this very moment. I told you, I don’t understand why.”

Tora fell silent again. Then finally, he suggested that Shou should go home. When they rose up from the bench, Tora was surprised to see Saga standing behind them. Shou saw him and slowly stepped back, hiding behind the tree’s trunk. Tora approached his boyfriend who looked upset.

“I knew you’d be here,” said Saga coldly, “This is the place where you usually meet Shou behind my back, right?!”

Tora looked back to see Shou still hiding. Then, he grabbed Saga’s arm and pulled him along with him to his car. Saga snapped his hand away, though. They faced each other now.

“Why did you never tell me that you’ve been meeting him secretly, Tora?! I knew you two are hiding something from me!”  
“Don’t talk nonsense, Saga.”

From his hiding place, Shou eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Shou’s been ditching school just so he could meet you here, I knew it! I’m not stupid, Tora! And you’ve been doing the same, right?!”  
“…Yes.”  
“See? I can’t believe it, Tora!”  
“Shou needs me!”  
“I need you more!” A single tear of anger rolled down Saga’s cheek when he said this.  
“Saga, I swear there’s nothing between me and Shou!”  
“Your friendship with Shou is more important than our relationship, isn’t it?? What am I to you, Tora?”  
“Saga!!”

Right after Tora snapped at him, Saga fainted. Tora hurriedly caught his body.

“Saga! Saga!”

However, Saga remained unconscious in Tora’s arms. The dark-haired teen carried him bridal style and took him to his car. Shou came out from his hiding place, watching as Tora carefully laid Saga on the backseats, and then ran to the driver’s seat and got into the car as well, and then he drove away. Shou caught sight of something lying on the grass; it was Tora’s diary. He picked it up and shoved it inside his schoolbag.

~*~

Tora followed the paramedics who were taking Saga to the one of hospital’s rooms; the light brown-haired teen was lying on the stretcher. They arrived there in no time, and Saga was being taken care of whilst Tora stood beside his bed. He looked panicked. He bit his lower lip, turning his head in the direction of the door and found Shou standing there. He didn’t know that Shou was actually following them to the hospital. Shou’s expression was unreadable. Tora reluctantly moved from Saga’s bed towards the door. However, Shou had left.

***

Shou’s mother was fumbling through her folders when her co-worker came in to her office. The short black-haired woman held a camcorder in her hand and put it down on Shou’s mother’s desk. She sounded awkward when she spoke.

“Mizuki, I managed to open it. Thanks for lending me the camcorder, anyway. I also bought a new AV decoder for you.”  
“Really? I’m sorry for bothering you.”  
“Erm…I watched your video cassette by accident, sorry. I thought it was mine.”

She broke off and bit her lower lip. Shou’s mother furrowed her eyebrows. When her co-worker spoke again, her voice sounded almost inaudible.

“Mizuki…I don’t want to interfere in your family issue. You had better watch it by yourself. And…my husband and I have agreed that we will keep our mouths shut.”

Shou’s mother looked even more confused. Her co-worker excused herself awkwardly after that. She took her glasses off and eyed the camcorder that lay on her desk.

~*~

_Saga saw Shou and he ran towards him. He grabbed the slightly taller teen’s shoulder so that they were now face-to-face. Saga noticed that Shou looked pale._

_“Shou…I never want us to become enemies. But, why are you doing this to me behind my back?”_

_Shou took Saga’s hands in his and held them tight._

_“Saga, do you love Tora?”_  
“Of course, I do.”  
“Will you take care of him?”  
“Sure, I will. What’s wrong, Shou?” 

_Without warning, Shou pulled Saga into a hug. He broke the hug soon after, though. He didn’t say anything else when he stepped back, walking away from Saga. Saga called out to him._

_“Shou, will you…show up at school tomorrow?”_

_Shou turned around. He smiled bitterly as he shook his head._

_“I can’t go back, Saga.”_  
“But, why?” asked Saga worriedly, his hand reaching out to Shou.  
“I just…can’t.” 

 

Saga’s eyes fluttered open very slowly. He saw a blurry figure of Tora sitting beside his bed. He felt his boyfriend holding his hand so tightly.

“Saga…” called Tora.

A smile slowly appeared on Saga’s lips. Tora smiled back at him; he looked relieved. He brought Saga’s hand that he was holding up to his lips and kissed it.

“Saga…you need to have total bed rest. You’re…”

Tora broke off and then the doctor’s words to him before Saga regained his consciousness replayed in his mind.

 

_“He’s dying…”_  
“Wh-what?”  
“We found a tumour in his head. Has he ever experienced hallucination such as seeing an apparition or something like that?”  
“I…Y-yes, he once told me that he saw a ghost in our school’s toilets.”  
“The tumour in his head makes him hallucinate. I can say that he didn’t really see a ghost. He just…hallucinated it.”  
“And now…he’s dying?”  
“…I’m sorry.” 

 

“Tora?”

Saga’s voice brought him back to reality. Tora forced himself to smile.

“You’re seriously ill, Saga.”  
“Then, I guess I have to listen to your words, ne? Will you visit me every day, Tora?” asked Saga again, smiling at his boyfriend.

The smile broke Tora’s heart. He could only nod a ‘yes’. Saga squeezed Tora’s hand.

“Tora…I dreamt of Shou. I’ve never hated him, Tora.”  
“Saga, I understand.”  
“In my dream, Shou hugged me. Then, he told me that…he couldn’t go back. And he just left after telling me that. I don’t know what it means, Tora.”

A single tear escaped Tora’s left eye. He squeezed his lover’s hand tighter. Saga frowned seeing him crying without a sound.

“Tora…what’s wrong?”

Then the sobs were heard. Tora lowered his head, his tears falling to the bed sheet. Seeing his boyfriend in that state really saddened him; Saga slowly reached for Tora’s head and rested it on his chest. He caressed Tora’s hair to soothe him.

~*~

_Shou had returned to the city park. The wind blew even harder and the sky was so dark. He walked nowhere in particular, all the time wondering why he had never seen anyone but him and Tora in this park. However, this time it was different. He suddenly saw so many people around him. All of them were dressed in black and their faces were hidden. Then, they surrounded Shou. Shou had just come to realise that they all looked exactly like the ghost who had been haunting him. Shou was frightened. He ran through them and tried to find a safe place._

_Then, from the distance, he saw a high school student squatting down in front of something that looked like a gravestone. He approached him. He stood behind him and gasped in shock when he read his own name engraved on the gravestone. The student stood up, slowly turning around to face him. Shou gasped again when he saw his own face staring at him. However, the face was bleeding all over. When he reached his hand out to touch himself, Shou screamed so loudly._

 

Shou sat bold upright. It was just another scary dream.

~*~

In Room No.13…

Shou’s father had managed to break the straps that tied him up. He couldn’t stand staying in this room any longer. He had to warn his wife and son. Then, he escaped from the hospital.

~*~

In her bedroom, Shou’s mother was holding the camcorder. She was curious about her co-worker’s words, yet she hesitated to either watch the video cassette or not. However, she ended up grabbing the AV decoder and connected it to the TV. She sat back on her bed, pressing the play button.

~*~

Shou eyed Tora’s diary. He was hesitating, but then he took it and opened it. He read Tora’s handwriting on it.

> _
> 
> June 2nd, 1998.
> 
> The first time I met him again after the past few days he was absent, I almost couldn’t believe my own eyes. But it was real and I knew I wasn’t dreaming. I could tell which were human and which were spirits of dead people easily since I was kid.
> 
> _

 

Shou’s eyes widened.

~*~

_“I just want to make sure who the woman Otou-san’s been cheating with is, Okaa-san!”_

 

Shou’s mother watched the video in silence, staring with wide eyes at her son’s figure on the TV screen. He was speaking to her in the kitchen. He wore his school uniform and she was standing behind him. Then, she heard herself speak.

 

_“Your father has apologised to me a thousand times. But what’s the point? He keeps disappointing me! He ran away with that bitch!”_

 

~*~

Shou continued reading Tora’s diary.

 

> _
> 
> I couldn’t help but write everything about it in this diary. I just can’t understand why Shou doesn’t seem to realise that he’s actually…dead.
> 
> _

 

The tick of the clock that hung on the wall was the only sound that was heard; it was past midnight.

 

~*~

_“Okaa-san! You’re so mean!!”_

 

Shou’s mother gasped in shock as she watched herself grabbing a bottle from the sink and hit it on her own son’s head. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks.

 

~*~

> _
> 
> Why does he seem to think that he’s still alive? And he didn’t change at all. He acts just the same as when he was still alive.
> 
> _

 

Shou’s mouth gaped open in disbelief. The past scenes replayed in his head: when he and Tora spent their times together in the park, when everyone in school couldn’t seem to see him, when he walked past a middle-aged man outside the lift, he seemed unaware of Shou’s presence, and he was shivering instead. Tears started falling down Shou’s cheeks. He closed Tora’s diary, holding it against his chest and crying his eyes out.

~*~

Shou’s father had reached a telephone booth. He entered it, put in some coins and dialled his wife’s number. Not so long, his wife’s voice answered.

“ _Hizumi…how did you get this number?_ ”  
“Mizuki, I’m sorry. I should have warned you earlier. It’s that woman’s ghost who’s been haunting you and Kazamasa. She haunts me too.”

A scene replayed in his head as he spoke to his wife.

 

_“Just wait, Hizumi… I will make your wife and son suffer! Just wait!!”  
“What did you say?!”_

_Losing control, he hit the woman until she fell. The woman struggled; she ran but he chased her. He caught her and hit her again. Until at last, he hit her so hard. The woman lost her balance and fell over the railing right to the first floor of her house. When Shou’s father reached the first floor, she was already dead._

 

“I’m deeply sorry, Mizuki. I should—”  
“ _Stop, Hizumi,_ ” interrupted his wife, crying.  
“Everything is my fault, I know. But please, Mizuki, I want to meet Kazamasa. Let me talk to him,” he went on.  
“ _You’re…too late, Hizumi,_ ” she kept crying, “ _Kazamasa…is dead._ ”

Shou’s father fell onto his knees and cried, calling his son’s name.

~*~

Shou’s mother was still watching whilst crying her eyes out. She watched herself propping her son’s body up, blood gushing out from the wound at the back of his head. She shook him, but her son remained motionless in her arms. The doctor’s words repeated in her head again.

 

_“The tumour in your head has to be removed, Mrs. Kohara. The sedative you’re taking only helps you a bit. It may even cause you to hallucinate or lose some memories.”_

 

The receiver she was holding slithered from her hand, her crying getting louder.

~*~

Tears wetting his face, Shou walked to the storage room. He opened the door, spotting the freezer that previously didn’t look as suspicious as it did now. He merely stood on the doorway, sobbing all the time. Then, he saw his mother coming forward to him, tears wetting her face too. The woman walked past him into the storage room, as if she couldn’t see Shou. She indeed could not see her son standing in the doorway. Even though Shou called her many times, she could never hear him.

Ever since _the realisation_ hit them, they had been separated into two different realms. Shou could only watch as his mother approached the freezer, slowly reaching her hand out to open it. Shou watched her from behind, still sobbing.

Then it opened; his mother burst into tears again. They both saw Shou’s dead body inside the freezer that had been turned on all this time but Shou didn’t notice it when he was locked up here. The body and legs were bent so that he would fit inside it. Both Shou and his mother cried even louder; Shou covered his mouth with his palm. His mother reached for his frozen dead body, pulled it out from inside the freezer and hugged it tight. Shou reached his hand out, as if he wanted to touch his mother. He heard his mother cry his name out in frustration and then his legs started moving backwards.

_It’s time_ , Shou said to himself.

He turned his head to the light that had suddenly penetrated the dark hallway, seeing Hiroto standing at the end of it. Hiroto smiled at him, his hand reaching out, waiting for Shou. Shou found it difficult to walk, but his legs kept moving by themselves, approaching Hiroto. He looked back for the last time, mouthing, “ _Sayonara_ , Okaa-san…”, before he took Hiroto’s hand and went into the light with him.

 

****

-END OF STORY-

**Author's Note:**

> Find this story also [on LiveJournal](http://junakabisque.livejournal.com/7857.html).


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